1 Samuel 2:18

New American Standard Bible

Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD, as a boy wearing a linen ephod.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Samuel served in the Lord’s presence—this mere boy was dressed in the linen ephod.

Hebrew Names Version
But Shemu'el ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen efod.

King James Version
But Samuel ministered before the Lord , being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

Lexham English Bible
Now Samuel was serving before Yahweh, as a boy wearing a linen ephod.

English Standard Version
Samuel was ministering before the Lord , a boy clothed with a linen ephod.

New Century Version
But Samuel obeyed the Lord . As a boy he wore a linen holy vest.

New English Translation
Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord . The boy was dressed in a linen ephod.

Amplified Bible
Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD, as a child dressed in a linen ephod [a sacred item of priestly clothing].

Geneva Bible (1587)
Now Samuel being a yong childe ministred before the Lord, girded with a linen Ephod.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now Samuel was ministering before Yahweh, as a young boy girded with a linen ephod.

Contemporary English Version
The boy Samuel served the Lord and wore a special linen garment

Complete Jewish Bible
But Sh'mu'el ministered in the presence of Adonai , wearing a linen ritual vest even though he was only a child.

Darby Translation
And Samuel ministered before Jehovah, a boy girded with a linen ephod.

Easy-to-Read Version
But Samuel served the Lord . He was a helper who wore the linen ephod.

George Lamsa Translation
But the boy Samuel ministered before the LORD, and he wore a linen ephod.

Good News Translation
In the meantime the boy Samuel continued to serve the Lord , wearing a sacred linen apron.

Literal Translation
And Samuel was serving before Jehovah, a boy girded with an ephod of linen.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But Samuel was a mynister before the LORDE, and the childe was gyrded with an ouer body cote of lynnen.

American Standard Version
But Samuel ministered before Jehovah, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

Bible in Basic English
But Samuel did the work of the Lord's house, while he was a child, dressed in a linen ephod.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But the childe Samuel ministred before the Lorde, girded with a linnen Ephod.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

King James Version (1611)
But Samuel ministred before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linnen Ephod.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Samuel ministered before the Lord, a child girt with a linen ephod.

English Revised Version
But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

Berean Standard Bible
Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD-a boy wearing a linen ephod.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
`Forsothe Samuel, a child gird with a lynnun clooth, mynystride bifor the face of the Lord.

Young's Literal Translation
And Samuel is ministering [in] the presence of Jehovah, a youth girt [with] an ephod of linen;

Update Bible Version
But Samuel ministered before Yahweh, being a lad, girded with a linen ephod.

Webster's Bible Translation
But Samuel ministered before the LORD, [being] a child, girded with a linen ephod.

World English Bible
But Samuel ministered before Yahweh, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

New King James Version
But Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod.

New Living Translation
But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord . He wore a linen garment like that of a priest.

New Life Bible
Now Samuel was serving the Lord, even as a boy, wearing a linen vest.

New Revised Standard
Samuel was ministering before the Lord , a boy wearing a linen ephod.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, as for Samuel, he was ministering before Yahweh, - a boy girded with an ephod of linen.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But Samuel ministered before the face of the Lord: being a child girded with a linen ephod.

Revised Standard Version
Samuel was ministering before the LORD, a boy girded with a linen ephod.

THE MESSAGE
In the midst of all this, Samuel, a boy dressed in a priestly linen tunic, served God . Additionally, every year his mother would make him a little robe cut to his size and bring it to him when she and her husband came for the annual sacrifice. Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, " God give you children to replace this child you have dedicated to God ." Then they would go home.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD, as a boy wearing a linen ephod.

Contextual Overview

¹¹ Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah. But the boy continued to attend to the service of the LORD before Eli the priest. ¹² Now the sons of Eli were useless men; they did not know the LORD. ¹³ And this was the custom of the priests with the people: when anyone was offering a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come while the meat was cooking, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. ¹⁴ And he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; everything that the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. They did so in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. ¹⁵ Also, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest meat for roasting, as he will not take cooked meat from you, only raw." ¹⁶ And if the man said to him, "They must burn the fat first, then take as much as you desire," then he would say, "No, but you must give it to me now; and if not, I am taking it by force!" ¹⁷ And so the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for the men treated the offering of the LORD disrespectfully. ¹⁸ Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD, as a boy wearing a linen ephod.¹⁹ And his mother would make for him a little robe and bring it up to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. ²⁰ Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, "May the LORD give you children from this woman in place of the one she requested of the LORD." And they went to their own home.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ministered: 1 Samuel 2:11, 1 Samuel 3:1

a linen ephod: 1 Samuel 22:18, Exodus 28:4, Leviticus 8:7, 2 Samuel 6:14

Reciprocal: Judges 11:31 - shall surely Judges 11:39 - to his vow 1 Samuel 1:22 - and there 1 Kings 18:12 - from my youth 1 Chronicles 15:27 - a robe 2 Chronicles 34:1 - eight years Ecclesiastes 12:1 - Remember Hosea 3:4 - ephod Matthew 11:25 - and hast Matthew 19:14 - Suffer Matthew 20:2 - he sent Luke 1:66 - And the Luke 2:40 - the child Acts 3:24 - Samuel 2 Timothy 3:15 - from Hebrews 11:32 - Samuel

Cross-References

Genesis 1:31
And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 2:7
Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person.

Genesis 2:9
Out of the ground the LORD God caused every tree to grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:11
The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

Genesis 2:12
The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there as well.

Genesis 2:13
The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush.

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me some of the fruit of the tree, and I ate."

Ruth 3:1
Then her mother-in-law Naomi said to her, "My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may go well for you?

Proverbs 18:22
He who finds a wife finds a good thing And obtains favor from the LORD.

1 Corinthians 7:36
But if anyone thinks that he is acting dishonorably toward his virgin, if she is past her youth and it ought to be so, let him do what he wishes, he is not sinning; let them marry.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But Samuel ministered before the Lord,.... The ministration of Samuel, though a child, is observed both before and after the account of the ill behaviour and wickedness of Eli's sons; partly to the shame and disgrace of them, and as serving to aggravate their sin, and make it appear the more black and heinous; and partly to his honour and reputation, that he was not corrupted and turned aside from God by their evil practices. The phrase here used is different from that in 1 Samuel 2:11 there he is said to minister before Eli, under his direction and guidance, but here before the Lord; being now engaged in higher services, and which he could perform without the assistance of Eli, as in the presence of God more immediately; it seems to have respect to him when more grown in age, stature, knowledge, and experience, though here related: yet still being "a child"; not got out of his childhood, or arrived to manhood:

girded with a linen ephod; such as priests used to wear, but not Levites in common, nor extraordinary persons on extraordinary occasions, see 1 Samuel 22:18. This seems to be a peculiar favour, and a special honour which Eli granted to Samuel when so very young, on account of the grace of God bestowed on him in a wonderful manner; and because brought up in the tabernacle as a holy person, and a Nazarite; and because his birth was foretold, and he asked of God, as his name signified, as Procopius Gazaeus observes.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Girded with a linen ephod - This was the usual dress of the priests. It does not appear whether Levites wore an ephod properly. Possibly it was a mark of Samuel’s special dedication to the Lord’s service that he wore one. (See the marginal reference). The ephod was sometimes used as an idolatrous implement Judges 8:27.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 2:18. Girded with a linen ephod — This the Targum translates אסיר כרדוט דבוץ asir cardut debuts, "Girded with a cardit of byssus, or fine linen." The word cardut they seem to have borrowed from the Greek χειριδωτος, a tunic, having χειριδας, i.e., sleeves that came down to, or covered, the hands. This was esteemed an effeminate garment among the Romans. See Buxtorf's Talmudic Lexicon.